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ErieBlogs.com Q&A: Dylan Dreyer

A fair amount of people find ErieBlogs.com each month by using search engines. As you may have seen this weekend, we get all kinds of funny and strange search terms that lead people to our site.

In looking over our search terms for the last year, one person kept coming up a few hundred times each month - former Erie weatherperson Dylan Dreyer. Seriously, 300 times a month people were finding our site looking for information on Dylan.

Since I too was curious what she was up to these days, I tracked her down. Dylan’s currently a meterologist at 7NEWS WHDH in Boston, joining their team in January of 2007 after a stint at a station in Providence, Rhode Island. She was also nice enough to answer some questions for this week’s ErieBlogs.com Q&A.

ErieBlogs: What interested you in pursuing meteorology as a career?

Dylan Dreyer: Actually, I’m not one of those meteorologists who loved weather ever since I was a kid. I mean, I enjoyed thunderstorms and I watched the weather channel, but it wasn’t a hobby of mine or anything. I really loved math and would have gone into engineering if there was any field of engineering I liked. When I noticed that I needed to take 4 years of Calculus in meteorology, I thought, “That would be perfect!” Then, I just fell in love with it and can easily say I enjoy working and I love my job.

EB: You spent a few years at WICU here in Erie - tell me a bit about that experience or maybe a favorite memory, hangout, etc. Is there anything you particularly miss?

DD: Leaving home was the scariest things I’ve ever done…especially moving 8 hours away to a place I’ve never been to in my life. But, I can say it was the best experience of my life! Most everyone was right out of college and away from home, so it was like an extension of college. We’d go out and have fun. Drinks were cheap…99 cent Long Island Ice Teas?? It was great! I met a lot of great people and made a lot of friends and have memories of all the good times.

EB: From Erie, you went to Providence and now to Boston. What’s that experience been like?

DD: I must say I am truly blessed to have had the career I’ve had. Moving up the TV ladder has been pretty quick and I am so grateful for that. It’s interesting to see how things are in different sized markets. In Erie, everyone was having fun and it was more laid back…there were stories on potholes and the fact that ice cream shops weren’t open and it was 60 degrees outside. Then, in Providence, people are more serious and everyone’s a little older and a lot less laid back. Here in Boston, the news is flashy and exciting, but you can’t be as free as you’d like. There’s a reputation to uphold…not that I mind…it’s just different. It’s funny, though, because while things are different…a lot is the same. There are grumpy photogs, overkill storm coverage, computers that don’t always work, etc.

EB: Do things change as you move from larger to larger stations - or there are things that are the same but maybe intensified (ratings, etc).

DD: There are certain things that always remain the same (as mentioned above), but some things are different. Ratings are huge and there’s more competition between stations. There’s a lot more pressure on looks, clothing, voice. For the most part, though…things are the same, just on a much bigger scale.

EB: Have you made it back to northwest PA since you left?

DD: I’m sad to say, I haven’t made it back since I left. I planned trips when I first moved away, but being the low man on the totem pole…vacations didn’t always come easily. I’ve still kept in touch with my closest friends and we’ve met up in New England a few times. I was only in Erie for a short period of time, but I can say it was the most fun place I’ve ever worked and I’m so glad I got the experience to live there. And I do miss my cheap rent, too!!

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Thanks, Dylan, for taking the time to answer these questions. Continued best of luck in your television career!

Posted by Mike at December 3, 2007 10:15 AM

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